If you've been having a toothache or mild swelling around a tooth, it's a good idea to see a dentist before you suddenly develop more severe pain. Tooth infections and pain tend to get worse, and the only way to fix the problem is to treat your tooth. If you put off dental care, you might need to find an emergency dentist due to overwhelming pain. An emergency dentist can provide the same care you get from your regular family dentist, but an emergency dentist is available to help on weekends when your family dentist is closed. Here's how an emergency dentist might help with a bad toothache. 

Perform An X-Ray And Examine Your Tooth

The first step is to determine what's wrong with your tooth. If you're in severe pain, the problem is likely to be a big cavity that's infected. A dentist can confirm this by giving you an oral examination and by taking an X-ray of your tooth. Once this is done, your dentist will let you know the plan for fixing your tooth and stopping your pain.

Prescribe Antibiotics

In some cases, your dentist may want to give you antibiotics before working on your tooth. When a tooth is infected, a root canal is often the preferred treatment. Antibiotics might be advisable to treat the infection before your dental work is done. Treating the infection can often help with your toothache too. If your dentist decides to give you antibiotics first, they may also prescribe pain medication to help with your toothache for a couple of days while the antibiotics work. You'll then be scheduled for a root canal when the infection has cleared.

Perform A Root Canal

A root canal is done to clean the infection out of the pulp of your tooth that's below the gum. Your emergency dentist may perform this treatment right away rather than prescribe antibiotics first based on your general health and condition. You'll receive an anesthetic shot that numbs your tooth so the pain goes away immediately. Once the root canal procedure is over, you'll have some soreness from the dental work, but the toothache pain should be gone.

Give You A Filling

Toothaches and cavities don't always require a root canal. If your tooth is cracked or the enamel is open due to a cavity, you may have pain due to air or liquids irritating a nerve. In that case, a filling might be the right treatment. Plus, if you get a root canal, a filling will be needed unless your tooth needs a crown instead. If your tooth needs a crown, the emergency dentist can take an impression of your tooth to have the crown made in a lab. They'll make a temporary crown for you to use until your permanent crown is ready to put in.

Contact a local emergency dentist to learn more.